Anionic dopants, such as O-atom vacancies, alter the thermochemical and kinetic parameters of proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) at metal oxide surfaces; understanding their impact(s) is essential for informed material design for efficient energy conversion processes. To circumvent challenges associated with studying extended solids, we employ polyoxovanadate–alkoxide clusters as atomically precise models of reducible metal oxide surfaces. In this work, we examine net hydrogen atom (H-atom) uptake to an oxygen deficient vanadium oxide assembly, [V 6 O 6 (MeCN)(OCH 3 ) 12 ] 0 . Addition of two H-atom equivalents to [V 6 O 6 (MeCN)(OCH 3 ) 12 ] 0 results in formation of [V 6 O 5 (MeCN)(OH 2 )(OCH 3 ) 12 ] 0 . Assessment of the bond dissociation free energy of the O–H bonds of the resultant aquo moiety reveals that the presence of an O-atom defect weakens the O–H bond strength. Despite a decreased thermodynamic driving force for the reduction of [V 6 O 6 (MeCN)(OCH 3 ) 12 ] 0 , kinetic investigations show the rate of H-atom uptake at the cluster surface is ∼100× faster than its oxidized congener, [V 6 O 7 (OCH 3 ) 12 ] 0 . Electron density derived from the O-atom vacancy is shown to play an important role in influencing H-atom uptake at the cluster surface, lowering activation barriers for H-atom transfer.
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Modelling local structural and electronic consequences of proton and hydrogen-atom uptake in VO 2 with polyoxovanadate clusters
We report the synthesis and characterisation of a series of siloxide-functionalised polyoxovanadate–alkoxide (POV–alkoxide) clusters, [V 6 O 6 (OSiMe 3 )(OMe) 12 ] n ( n = 1−, 2−), that serve as molecular models for proton and hydrogen-atom uptake in vanadium dioxide, respectively. Installation of a siloxide moiety on the surface of the Lindqvist core was accomplished via addition of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethylsulfonate to the fully-oxygenated cluster [V 6 O 7 (OMe) 12 ] 2− . Characterisation of [V 6 O 6 (OSiMe 3 )(OMe) 12 ] 1− by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the incorporation of the siloxide group does not result in charge separation within the hexavanadate assembly, an observation that contrasts directly with the behavior of clusters bearing substitutional dopants. The reduced assembly, [V 6 O 6 (OSiMe 3 )(OMe) 12 ] 2− , provides an isoelectronic model for H-doped VO 2 , with a vanadium( iii ) ion embedded within the cluster core. Notably, structural analysis of [V 6 O 6 (OSiMe 3 )(OMe) 12 ] 2− reveals bond perturbations at the siloxide-functionalised vanadium centre that resemble those invoked upon H-atom uptake in VO 2 through ab initio calculations. Our results offer atomically precise insight into the local structural and electronic consequences of the installation of hydrogen-atom-like dopants in VO 2 , and challenge current perspectives of the operative mechanism of electron–proton co-doping in these materials.
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- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10315860
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Chemical Science
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 38
- ISSN:
- 2041-6520
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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